Patent GB-649937-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to platforms and the like adapted for facilitating the unloading of lorries
IPC: B65G67/32
Filed: 1948-03-31
Abstract: 649,937. Unloading vehicles; delivering articles by shoots. DAILY MIRROR NEWSPAPERS, Ltd., and GIBSON, W. March 31, 1948, No. 9072. [Classes 78 (i) and 78 (iv)] Reels of newsprint or other heavy cylindrical bodies are unloaded from a lorry with the assistance of a platform against the front of which the tail of the lorry may be positioned, the platform being provided with a pivoted front section adjustable so that its front edge is at the height of the tail of the lorry and, behind that section, with a spindle carrying equiangularly spaced arms adapted to rotate so that during unloading the arms engage successive bodies. Reels of newsprint 1, 2, 3, &c. are unloaded in the order numbered in Fig. 1, from a lorry b backed down a sloping bay r, onto a platform or bank a. The front section c of the platform is pivoted at its rear end so that it may be adjusted by a jack d to register with the tail of the lorry. Behind this section is a spindle e which is associated with means by which it may be rotated, braked or left free. On the spindle e are mounted a pair of laterally spaced bosses f carrying equiangularly spaced arms g projecting through slots in the platform a and provided at their ends with rollers h. Normally the spindle e is left free so that as a roll passes from the lorry it engages and rotates the arms g to pass over the spindle e after which it operates a switch k locking the spindle e to prevent further rolls passing over the spindle. The first roll then continues on to a pivoted platform supported by resilient means m and which serves to stop the roll without undue shock. In passing on to the platform the roll operates a switch n freeing the spindle e to permit a further roll to pass. A plate o supported over the spindle e ensures that the reels remain in engagement with the arms g. The reels are normally held on the lorry by a chock for each reel of the bottom row, the chocks being removed in succession when unloading. In commencing to unload a lorry two or more reels A, B are preferably left on the platform a and moved up to the first reel 1 on the lorry by power rotation of the spindle e in a sense opposite to that in which it normally rotates. A device is provided for preventing a reel 2 from moving out of contact with the reel 4 below; as shown in Fig. 8, the result of this would be that ultimately the reel 2 crashes on to the lorry and the reel 3 above similarly falls violently into the gap between the reels 2 and 4. The device comprises two ropes bl (Fig. 1), rotatably connected between links d<1> suspended by ropes a<1> from a trolley s gradually moved toward the front of the lorry during unloading. The ropes b<l> engage between the reels 2, 3 to hold them in contact with the reels 4, 5 respectively and, after the reels 2, 3 have descended to the position shown in Fig. 5, pass between the reels 2, 3 to engage between the reels 5, 6. The trolley s is pulled along rails q above the bay by a rope passing round pulleys u, v, the pulley v being driven from a motor y exerting a constant torque.